April 28, 2005
Hello readers, I hope that studying for finals is not depressing you too much,
I know for one of the boys it all became a bit too much, I don't want to go
into details, but it'll be alright Weirdo. I am late writing this entry, as
it has been hectic trying to get all of my presentations finished and getting
some study done. All is well now though, I got everything handed in and I only
have three finals left that I am not too worried about.
Anyway, I had a great time in France the week before last. The wedding was
great; it was in a small village outside of Nice called Pellion. I fear that
I might not do it any justice trying to describe it, so try and use your imagination.
It was on the side of a mountain; very picturesque and quaint, just what you
imagine a small village in France to look like, but nicer. The ceremony itself
was great, very tasteful, and the champagne all day wasn't bad either. The
partying didn't stop until the following morning at 6:30am, just as it should
be. Coming back after that was possibly worse than returning after Christmas,
you know what it is like when you have been looking forward to something for
a long time and then it is over and all I had to look forward to now was finals.
Devastating.
I am at present sorting out accommodation for next semester. Luckily one of
the lad's parents is buying a house and I have managed to bag a room. It'll
be fantastic to have my own room, not to have to worry about a roommate and
being able to cook my own food in my own kitchen. I would love to be able to
get a car next semester too; I hate having to rely on people to get around.
I say that now but I am pretty lazy and I'll probably manage not to bother
going for my driving test. Good intentions, I'm full of them.
I am just a week from getting home for two and a bit month. I cannot wait.
An old cliche I know, but this year has flown by, a whole year of the dorms,
the village, essays, and tests, all over. And before I forget I would like
to say that the staff in the village is a great bunch of people who can't do
enough to help you, and whatever they get paid is not enough. Also I would
like to put a shout out to the boys on the team and in the dorms that have
put up with me all semester and made this experience a bit more bearable. After
all my complaining throughout the year I have to say that I have made some
great friends and I have some great memories to take home for the summer.
It's all come to an end. I wish I had something poetic to say but I don't,
so all I have to say is that I have enjoyed writing these articles and thank
you to any of you that have taken the time to read them. I know it must have
been painful for you especially with some of my writing. Thanks Hugh Davey.
April 14, 2005
Hello readers, I'm a bit more tired than usual this morning because some smart
ass decided to set of the fire alarm in the dorms off at three o'clock this
morning. That is the second time it has happened since I have got here and
it still hasn't gotten any funnier. I don't mind a bit of banter but I hate
having my sleep interrupted.
The soccer club had their alumni game this weekend, and I am glad to say that
the current team won it for the first time. A lot of the alumni seemed to be
nursing a hangover, which didn't help their performance but I am not sure how
much of an effect this had on the outcome. We won a comfortable five zero and
I even managed to get myself on the score sheet. It was a thirty-yard rasper.
It was good to see the players that went before us at Riddle. We had a bit
of a social on Saturday night after the game, a great day in fairness.
I am off to Nice in the south of France tomorrow for a wedding. It'll be great,
not just to see everyone from home but this will be my first wedding and, I
am sure, a great party. I will be flying on Tuesday morning and not arriving
until Wednesday, almost a full day of traveling, even with the time change.
Well worth it though. I am very sad to say that I will have to miss a few days
of college, but needless to say I think I will get over it. I will be thinking
of all of you here at college working away, when I am living it up in the south
of France. I suppose it is close to finals but all my classes are going well
and I wouldn't miss this wedding for the sake of a few days in college.
When I get back from Nice, I think that we have only got about two or three
weeks left before we are heading home for the summer, and that is the end of
my second Freshman year in college. And believe it or not, contrary to popular
belief, especially with all my moaning on this journal it has been a good year
where I have met a lot of new and good friends. I am very glad that I got the
opportunity to write this journal as I now have something that I can look back
on, and reminisce about the year that has gone. You know how it is sometimes,
you never really appreciate what you have until it is gone. For instance, the
dorms, very boring at times, but I would definitely recommend staying there
for the first year of college at least. I mean if nothing else it is a great
place to meet people who are usually on the same boat as your self, their first
year in college and their first time away from home.
Anyway I have to go to work and I have a lot to do today, with going away
tomorrow and that, I have some washing to do. Take it easy. Hugh.
March 31, 2005
Hello readers, Happy Easter everybody, I'm right in the middle of spring break
and the weather hasn't picked up yet, but I have been told that I do too much
complaining in my articles, so I am not going to talk about the bad things.
On a brighter note, before my girlfriend went home yesterday we went to St.
Augustine for a couple of days, because a few people told us that it was worthwhile
going to visit.
The first day we went there was the only good day for the whole two weeks
that she was in America. It was lucky, because we had planned on going to the
beach, which was a lot nicer and quieter than Daytona Beach. Then we went into
the city itself, which feels like a small town somewhere in Europe. Everything
is small and quaint and it didn't feel like anywhere else that I have been
in the U.S. (as of yet). It's hard for me to say that, as it is where Flagler
University hales from, but still it was a nice way to end her visit. The two
weeks she was here seemed to fly by, just the same as this semester. Not long
left now, just finals to get over. For the past two weeks, I've been staying
at one of the boy's apartment, which was class (cheers Besty). I'm back in
the dorms now, and feeling thoroughly depressed about it. It was great to have
a bit of freedom, and a car to drive. I think I will enjoy next semester a
lot more, I will be moving into a house or apartment, and I'll be getting myself
a car.
I've started making my plans for this summer; Elisabeth and myself are going
away to Cuba for three weeks. As much as I love Razzles, bikers with mullets,
and pilots, it will be great to get away for awhile and just relax. I heard
that it isn't the safest place for you Americans to travel to. I have a few
months of hard labor to do before I can afford this, but it will be worth it
when I get to take it easy for a few weeks. I think that I will probably fly
straight back here after the holiday. I can't wait to get home for the summer,
all this talk of finals and projects has killed my good form, and now the summer
is the only thing that I have to look forward to. Oh, actually I am turning
21 this Thursday, so I have the weekend to look forward to. It should be a
mad one.
Anyway that is the extent of my spring break, but hopefully by my next entry
I should have a few good stories from my first weekend as a twenty-one year
old. Take it easy.
March 17, 2005
Hello readers,hope all is well. I am tired today, considering that I had a
very quiet weekend. Apart from two soccer games yesterday, I didn't do anything
too strenuous. I am happy to say my girlfriend flew into Orlando on Thursday.
We have taken it relatively easy thus far. Our weekend never got much more
exciting than a meal in Carrabas on Friday night and to the flicks to see Hitch
on Saturday, which was great. We have just been trying to spend as much time
together as possible, but that is proving to be hard with classes and soccer
training keeping me at Riddle until 5:30pm each evening. I also went to get
my driving license on Friday at the DMV but, of course, nothing is ever as
easy as it seems. Before I can do my test I have to sit through some drug and
alcohol awareness class for four hours. Nightmare!
I am looking forward to the start of Spring break, which will give us a lot
of free time to do stuff that couples do. We are planning on going to St. Augustine
for the weekend so if anyone knows of anything worthwhile to do there let me
know. Cheers! As well as that, it is St. Patrick's Day on Thursday so we will
have to celebrate that with a few pints of Guinness in an Irish bar somewhere.
I hear that Savannah is meant to be great for Paddy's day, but ultimately I
would love to go to New York.
I had my first flip it Tuesday experience last week, which was pretty good,
got my first 6 drinks on the house. Luck of the Irish! So one of the boys (Coisty)
asked me to go up and get his round but, of course, the luck ran out, and he
had to pay for every one of his five drinks.
Anyway, we had two soccer games yesterday and we managed to win one and lose
one, which is not great. We lost 2-1 to Jacksonville University and we beat
University of North Florida on penalties. The heat yesterday was a real killer;
it is a horrible feeling breathing in warm air. I was struggling just to run
in the second game, but I will be in a lot better shape come the start of the
fall season. I hope!
I was just thinking, after Spring break there is only four weeks left of classes.
This semester has been, or has felt, really short, even though it has been
boring. I remember this time last semester I was looking forward to the spring
and, now that its here, it is not all that it was cracked up to be. At the
same time I think that the fall is going to be great, because we are hosting
nationals. I am looking forward to playing some competitive games again.
That's all for now, so take it easy and try and let me know if you know of
anything to do in St. Augustine. Thanks.
March, 3, 2005
Hello readers, hope all is well. I've had a busy couple of weeks since the
last entry. First, there was the Daytona 500, then there was the soccer clinic
which I set up, and just yesterday, we had our first two games of the spring
semester.
To start, the 500 was an early five o'clock start on Saturday morning and
it was a long day. By the time the race started we decided just to head on
back to the dorms. We got to work on the infield, which was a new edition this
year. It is a new area by the pits which holds about 50,000 people and allows
the spectators to view the pits and walk on the track before the race. This
seemed to go down well with all the hard core race fans that have been going
to the 500 for years. It seemed that every club and fraternity associated with
Riddle were working the races. It was pretty good money for pretty easy work,
and it allowed us to earn some money for our soccer program. There were even
a few stars at it, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore where there as well as some
Red Sox baseball player whose name I don't know. I have to say that I have
never seen so many people in the one place at the same time, and I don't think
I ever will again. I'm not sure of the exact figure but I think it was about
400,000. It was a good thing to see, although I regret not staying for some
of the race but at the time I was wrecked and just wanted to get back into
the pit.
Then last Monday, president's day, I ran a soccer clinic on the intramural
field. I was a bit worried about whether or not I would get a good turn out.
I spent the previous Thursday night handing out flyers at the Ormond Soccer
fields, and then I emailed coaches to invite their teams etc. So I was hoping
that I would get at least fifty kids which would have been about a twenty percent
return. I never realized there was as much stress in setting something like
this up, having to organize facilities, coaches, flyers, emails, and of course
getting the kids in. After going over to set everything up at seven for the
nine start, I was pleasantly surprised by the turn out of ninety kids. Although
this was a free clinic, a lot of the parents made very generous donations which
went to the soccer program; overall it was a good day and something that I
will definitely think about doing again. Oh and I would like to thank the boys
off the team for helping with the clinic and the parents for their donations.
Yesterday we went over to Stetson to play our first two soccer games of the
spring semester. We played against Florida Southern and Eckerd, and won both
games comfortably enough. We went up with only thirteen players, which is the
bare bones because usually a soccer squad will travel with about eighteen players.
So by the end of it we were all tired, but this didn't stop us going out on
a team bonding session at a local Oyster Bar.
Anyway I am in two of the boy's room writing this, and its 12:30am so they
are kicking me out, so I will say goodbye for now.
February 17, 2005
Alright readers, hope all is well. As I expected, I am finding this semester
a lot harder than the last one, purely because I have a lot more free time
than I did in the fall. So instead of doing anything constructive, I do all
the small things to avoid doing some actual college work. I will sit for an
hour and organize my notes and then not even bother to read them. Or I will
say to myself that I will start reading them in at 10:00 p.m., but end up asleep
at 9:30 p.m.. Anything to avoid a bit of hard work. I have the Humanities 140
class this semester, which is about Greek literature and that sort of stuff.
I am sure it isn't bad if you are in to that sort of thing. But me personally,
it's just not my thing. I am a bad reader and can't stand having to sit for
six hours a week and read page after page of names and dates of stuff that
happened more than 2,000 years ago. I'm sure that somewhere down the line that
this may benefit me in some way, but I can't think of anything. Other than
if I get on to "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and a question about
Sophocles gets me $250,000. I can't imagine that I will need to know this in
a managerial position or whatever job I hope to get when I leave Riddle. And
another thing, a mandatory attendance at the three Theban plays on Tuesday
night in the IC, that is an absolute disaster, two or three hours of pure boredom.
Apart from that, the rest of my classes are not too bad.
Enough about college for now. Although the old social life has been a bit
quiet recently, spring semester is not living up to expectation by all accounts.
I am hopeful though, that it will pick up by the beginning of March, as my
girlfriend is coming over for two weeks and then a few of my mates are coming
over for Spring Break. Apparently, the Daytona 500 and Bike Week will bring
in huge crowds, so that should be good. I worked with the soccer team over
the weekend at the speedway during the qualifiers. There was a bit of a crowd,
but I am told that it is nowhere near what will be like here this weekend.
I've never seen so many long haired men with cowboy boots and coolers full
of Bud in my life. They started to come in at about 9:30 in the morning, and
the racing didn't even start until 1:00 p.m. For some reason, you are not allowed
to bring ruck sacks or hard coolers into the Daytona 500, and it was our job
this weekend to check. Of course, there were a good few people who didn't know
this. They complained that they had just walked about a mile and a half from
their car, carrying both hard sided coolers and ruck sacks, paid $125 for a
basic ticket, been looking forward to it all year, and then to be told "I'm
sorry you can't get in with that!" There were a few unhappy race fans,
seriously. This was all made worse by the fact that I was nursing a hangover
from the night before. But in all fairness to the crowd that did show up, they
were more restrained than I would have been. Some of the rules at that place
are ridiculous, and of course the main administrators were retired pensioners
who wanted to feel important, so they were getting us to stop everyone and
wouldn't let any minor infringement slide. But generally a great experience
to have, I have to say that I am looking forward to seeing the 500.
Glad to see that the weather has finally started to warm up, and yet the pool
is still not opened, strange. Anyway that is pretty much all I have to say
for now so take it ham and cheesy.
February 3, 2005
Hello everyone, thought I would start this one off with a joke. A blind man
walks into a store with his seeing-eye dog. All of a sudden, he picks up the
leash and begins swinging the dog over his head. The manager runs up to the
man and asks, "What are you doing?" The blind man replies, "Just
looking around."
Everything has been quiet since I got back from Orlando. I've just been settling
into classes again and trying to sort out my depleted financial situation after
a long Christmas. I applied for my social security number after only 6 months
of living here. Not too bad for me! I might be able to get paid for my on-campus
job that I have had since the start of last semester. I was working out how
much I should get in my first pay check from E.R.A.U. that has been building
up since September of last year. My expectations of a substantial amount where
sorely disappointed, because contrary to popular belief on-campus jobs don't
pay that well. The fact that I am an international means I can't work off campus.
I don't mean to sound ungrateful because I would be a lot worse off if I had
no job at all, and to be honest it is not the hardest work in the world, actually
enjoyable most of the time. The professor that I work for is a good laugh and
has no problem helping me with any of my classes. I am just bitter that I could
be earning more money than I am, and as a student I always have to have something
to complain about.
The soccer team are back training now, so that is a good thing because my
evenings where getting depressing for the past two weeks. I know I have said
this before, but our spring season is a lot more relaxed than our fall season,
which is our main focus. We only have a few exhibitions and an alumni game,
but in the fall we are officially hosting nationals. That is the reason that
the soccer field looks like the beach at the minute, renovations. There are
big plans for renovations of the soccer field, intramural field (that will
now be outside of Adams hall), and a new softball field that will no doubt
bring up the percentage of female students at Riddle. I know that this will
make a few of the lads on the team happy, as well as the majority of the male
student body.
I had my first flying experience in a Cessna 172 on Friday night, as a passenger
only, but it was good none the less. It's hard not to get caught up in the
whole flying thing, being a student at Riddle. To be honest I didn't even know
that much about Riddle before I came here and didn't care much for planes or
flight. However, I am now thinking about doing a minor in Air Traffic Control,
it depends on whether or not I can use it when I go back home. Nobody I have
talked to can seem to give me a straight answer, so if anyone knows if the
regulations for ATC are the same in Europe as they are in the U.S. could you
log on the discussion board. Cheers.
I'm looking forward to my first Super Bowl experience, I know I'll only be
watching it on T.V. but there has been that much hope about it that it had
better be good. I'd say that it'll be the same atmosphere as was in Ireland
for the World Cup finals in Japan. But not as good, and by the way that is
proper football i.e. no hands. What is the craic with the weather? I didn't
move here from Ireland for this, I am sure that this place is meant to be hot.
I mean I got here in August 04 and there were hurricanes for a month and now
the weather is freezing.
Another thing, is that the pool on campus is closed until March for some reason,
does anyone know why that is? Anyway I am finished complaining now so I will
head on. All the best.
January 20, 2005
Alright everyone, hope you all had a good Christmas break. I am at home in Ireland at the minute.
The weather is terrible, but that only makes it feel more like home. It is great to be back and
to have all of my exams over so I can relax and take it easy for the month.
Since getting home on the 18th, I can safely say that I have been on the beer
more than a
few times. Went to my first ever concert during the week in the RDS, which is
a big concert
venue in Dublin. My girlfriend took me to see the Scissor Sisters, who are a
pretty well
known band here although not many Americans I have talked to have heard of them,
which I
find strange enough considering they are an American band.
I have also had a few nights out with my mates who have all been asking if college in the
states is like American Pie. I told them that it may be in some colleges, but it's definitely not
at Riddle.
I have realized how much smaller things are back here at home compared to America, cars,
roads, shopping centers, houses, everything is a lot smaller. Not necessarily any worse but
just smaller. Anyway, I am heading out again tonight to club 92, but I am off down to the
local for a few pints of Guinness before then, so I will get back to this later.
Sorry, (I am back in Florida) I meant to get back sooner but it was pretty hectic at
home. I had a lot of visiting and partying to do. I thought when I got home that quite a lot
might have changed but everything was just as it was before I left. All except that the family
pub had been sold. It had been in the Davey name for the past 53 years. It was weird to see
it and to think that it did not belong to my uncle anymore.
I just got back on Tuesday night before college and got through the week
unscathed. It was
not the toughest week at Riddle, most of the classes just gave out schedules
and a brief
class description. A few of my mates from back home have come over to stay in
Kissimmee, just on the other side of Orlando, so I am down there at the minute.
It is pretty
nice down here but a bit quiet, more like a retirement spot. It's a great house
that they are
staying in, it has everything, pool, table tennis, pool table, Jacuzzi, etc.,
so we have had
loads to keep us occupied!
I'm not looking forward to next week at college because I have a feeling
that it will be harder
than last, and I am well used to doing nothing by this stage. I got a handy MWF
this
semester; I don't start until 11:45am, which is a welcome change from 8:00am
starts five
days a week last semester, four classes on Tuesday and Thursday though. I took
the one credit PE class that
was being offered, so I am hoping that it will split my Tuesday and Thursday
classes up and the days will not
seem as long.
December 9, 2004
Hello Readers, hope things are going well. This has been, by far, my laziest
two weeks at Embry Riddle since I got here, four months ago. I don't know what
it can be; it seems like the more I sleep the more tired I get. I have not
done a tap of work in a fortnight. I thought that after the soccer season finished
I would have an abundance of energy to carry me through my finals. It has turned
out to be the opposite. I have absolutely no desire to do anything but sleep.
I think that the more pressure I am under, the better I work. Knowing that
I have not got training after classes every day, I assume I have an age to
every task set by a lecturer, and then I leave it until the last minute.
Where as, when I had only a couple of hours to spare per night for homework
and stuff, and I had been working all day I did not mind putting in another
few hours of high quality work. I suppose it has a lot to do with the frame
of mind you are in. For instance I sat in front of the computer last week for
seriously, three hours, and I managed a mere paragraph. Partially it had to
do with some time spent on emails, of course the compulsory food and drinks
breaks, time spent sorting out the most trivial things, and then there is always
someone to talk to, but mostly it was down to pure unadulterated laziness.
As long as I get through these next few weeks and I can keep the grades that
I have at the minute I will go home to Ireland at Christmas a happy man.
I went out on Friday to Coyote's for the free drink from nine to ten but didn't
hang about for long, went on to Mai Tai's after that. A quiet enough night
by all accounts but I have a feeling that there are a few big nights coming
up, to celebrate the end of the semester. A lot of lads off the team are heading
home to do internships next semester so it might be the best part of a year
before we see them again, so it is a worthy reason for a few beers.
I haven't been on a night out where we have ventured further than Mai Tai's,
Coyote's, or Razzles' (which I vowed never to go back to again) and would appreciate
if someone could tell me if there is any good spots to frequent in the Daytona
area. A few lads went to Orlando on Saturday night past and apparently had
their best night of the year, which I feel proves my point about the lack of
night life in Daytona Beach. I find this very surprising as it is not at all
what I expected, as a foreigner here for the first time. I am not mad about
going clubbing or anything like that, but all I want is a nice bar to have
a few drinks in a nice atmosphere. I don't think that this is too much to ask,
from a place which has a worldwide reputation for good night life, or so I
thought.
I think that this is my penultimate entry and I hope that for the last one
that I will have some eventful nights to tell you all about, but until then,
good bye for now.
P.S. If I could just say hello to Elisabeth, Ursula, Big Phil and E.D.
November 25, 2004
Hello, I've just had another mixed couple of weeks. Last weekend we won the
regional tournament held here at Riddle. It all started last Friday night (11/12)
when we beat St. Thomas 3-0 in the semi-final and then we went on to beat Northwood
in the finals on Saturday. This victory was sweetened by the fact that they
were the only team to beat us in the conference during the season; and sweetened
further more because they are the only team in the Conference without any sportsmanship
what so ever. In the three games we played against them throughout the season,
they had a man sent off in every game, including three sent off in the final.
So it was off to Kansas for Nationals, Olathe, to be more exact. It has never
been one of my life long dreams to go to Kansas, and I found out why this week.
It is in the middle of nowhere, it is freezing, and more importantly it is
very boring. I hope I am not offending anyone, that's not my intention. But
if you are from Olathe, I am sure that you are aware of this already. And if
you aren't, you are kidding no one but yourself. I suppose that this is not
a bad place to hold the national finals as there are sure to be no distractions
for the athletes as the night life in Kansas seems to be non- existent, as
well as any sort of crowd at the games. I think I am just bitter because I
am back so soon. And the reason that I am back so soon is because we got beat
in our first game. I won't bore you with the in's and out's of the game but
I will give you a brief outline of how our season came to an abrupt end on
Wednesday.
We started off brightly, and were in a commanding position at the half time
interval, yet the score board did not reflect this fact, as it was still 0-0.
When we came out for the second half, we conceded an early goal just 5 minutes
after the break. A bad decision by the referee, but I am getting used to bad
referees over here as it is the norm. Then, deservedly so, we equalized with
about twenty minutes to go and were in the ascendancy, and I felt we would
go on to win the game from here. But football being the cruel game it is, it
wasn't to be. We conceded a goal, not for the first time, with a mere 10 minutes
to go. We did not stop battling right up until the last whistle, all in vain
none the less, and just like that our season was ended. A hard one to swallow,
purely because of the fact that they were not a good side by any stretch of
the imagination, and 9 times out of ten we would have beaten them. Knock out
tournaments are funny like that.
Anyway, still tired from a long days traveling yesterday, I had my first day
back in class today. The disappointment of losing was worsened when I was informed
of how much work I have to catch up on for Monday. Overall it has not been
a bad season, I mean we won the conference pretty comfortably and we came through
the Regional as well. You cannot rest on your laurels, and I think that we
have established ourselves as a very good team over the past few seasons. I
say this because of the reputation that I heard about before I came here, but
I think that next season we will take that next step and win a national title.
It would be great to win it next year, especially as they are going to be held
at Riddle next year.
It is going to be a grim month now without any football. I have finals to
look forward, but then it is home for Christmas, thank God. To finish this
entry I would like to wish our seniors the best of luck with whatever they
decide to do and say thanks to them for a good season. They are a good bunch
of lads, Justin Crawford (JCA), Phil Murray (Muz), Clifton Phillips W, and
last, but definitely not least, Christian (In The Lead) Masson.
November 11, 2004
Hello, I would like to start off this week by congratulating
the Women's Soccer team of ERAU for winning the Regional final. I missed the
game itself because we were traveling back from our own game, but by all accounts
it was a great performance. All being well we can replicate their achievement
next week in our own Regional finals here at Riddle. We finished off the conference
with a 2-0 win over Savannah, with a less than convincing performance.
Going off sport for a bit, I hope everyone had a good Halloween. After our
game the majority of the team got dressed in costume and went to the frat party,
me and one of the lads went as Scooby Doo and Shaggy, (we got them last minute
and they were the only ones left). Usually I am not very keen on Fancy Dress
but by the time it came around to putting it on I already had a few drinks,
so I didn't really care what I looked like. It turned out to be another good
night, some great costumes. Although I did spend most of the night taking care
of someone who had a few too many, and I wouldn't like to mention any names
but if you see anyone walking around campus with no eyebrows at all you will
know who I am talking about. I regretted it a lot on Sunday morning when I
had to hand out candy to kids all day for the events put on by the college,
in the student village and around Doolittle.
I went to my first basketball game on Friday when Riddle won their season
opener against Linden State pretty convincingly. I'm not sure about the standards
of basketball here but it looked a bit easy for them, although after talking
to one of the lads off the team last night, he said it will get a lot harder
than Friday's game. The Pre-game entertainment and the player's introductions
before the game were pretty good, not to mention the big crowd. It's pretty
obvious to see that soccer hasn't really taken off in the U.S. yet and may
never be able to compete with the likes of American Football, Baseball, and
Basketball. This is plain to see if you have gone to a game of soccer and a
game of basketball at Embry Riddle. Women's soccer is an exception of course,
but I think there is an ulterior motive behind a lot of the crowd that attend
the women's soccer games considering that this is a predominantly male college.
I picked my classes for next semester on Friday and I will be glad not to
have to start at 8 and 8:15 every day after Christmas. I put the majority of
my classes on Tuesday/Thursday to give myself a long weekend. I'm looking forward
to next semester, not as much training as our spring season is less hectic,
and more time to do a few different things, like kick boxing or something.
Anyway apart from that everything else is quiet so will speak to you all again
in 2 weeks, hopefully as a Regional champion. I hope that a few of you can
make it. Take care.
October 28, 2004
Where to start? The week has started off very poorly, especially compared
to the week I had last week. It all started on Sunday night with a computer
project. I am completely illiterate when it comes to computers, because they
have never been something that I have been all that interested in. I had an
Excel project that was due for today at 9.00am and I strolled in with it at
about 11.30. Immediately losing marks that I couldn't afford to lose, as the
project was horrible already. I'm not going to say that it wasn't my fault
but I do feel a bit hard done by, losing those marks after the work I put in
to it. I mean for the sake of an hour or two. The day sort of snowballed from
there. After missing that class I went on to missing the community hours that
I was due to do for our soccer program and then I managed to forget Math homework
for my next class, that I had spent 2 hours doing the night before. The only
good thing that came from the day was training and hopefully getting to bed
before 00.00 tonight. I'm not sure if this is as bad as I am making it out
to be or I am just being a woman about the whole thing. I suppose it was always
going to be hard to match the week I had last week.
Embry-Riddle men's soccer won the Florida Sun Conference on Saturday night.
I am sure that many of you do not know this as the Avion (the student newspaper)
always seems to forget to give us any sort of decent write up, or even a back
page spot. We won the conference with three games to spare and a 7 and 0 record,
not a word said. I imagine if it were Basketball, there would be a bigger deal
made. Don't get me wrong, I would be happy for them if they did and I hope
they do. I just think a bit more recognition for the team and management would
not be OTT. Anyway I'm getting off the point. The game on Saturday was also
one of the team's best performances this season. If everything goes as planned
we can keep improving and win regionals and maybe even nationals. We might
even get the back page.
After this, and still on a high from the game, we all set off for Coyote's
down near the beach. It was a great night. It being bike week, we thought we
would have trouble finding a bar not full of bikers but as it turned out when
we got there the place was practically empty accept for the crowd that came
with us. So the banter started and it was easily one of the best nights I've
had in America. It's up there with Texas, where I went for the hurricanes.
To go back on myself a bit, last Thursday I went to Yoga for the first time
in the fountain room at the student village. We had a game on Wednesday night
and we got the day off from training, so I thought I would go and check it
out. I thought it would be relaxing and it would be a lot of stretching and
so on. It wasn't quite what I expected, more about auras and that sort of stuff.
I'm not knocking it, it's not really my cup of tea but I can see why people
like it all the same. I wouldn't mind checking out some of the clubs in college,
like the sky diving club and many others, if I had more time.
I couldn't end this entry without saying something about the elections. I'm
not exactly an expert; it is a bit similar to computers with me. But tonight
I had an informal debate set up by our group learning committee. We discussed
topics like economy, education, and health care, etc. plus the views of each
candidate. It was very informative and I would feel confident enough to at
least hold a decent conversation about it. It was a good thing to take part
in and to see how passionate some of the students are about politics. I honestly
couldn't say who I would vote for if I could vote, but I think it would be
a waste for someone to just make an uneducated decision or not even vote at
all. There is so much you have to take into consideration and we only reached
the tip of the iceberg tonight. I think that people probably only take into
account the topics which most effect their lives and base their decisions on
this. Anyway that is all I really have to say and about all I know, so I'll
leave it here. Cheers.
October 14, 2004
Hello, I'm glad to say that
I just booked a flight home for Christmas. I can‚t wait to get back to Ireland
to see the family, my girlfriend and a bit of rain no doubt. That‚s
after only two full weeks of college.
It‚s 6:00 pm on Sunday
evening and this is due in by 12:00 am, it‚s not that I have left this to the
last minute; it‚s because of all the work that I have to do for college. It
seems that I don‚t have a minute to do anything apart from college work. I
don‚t know if it is the same for the majority of the student population or
it is because I have to train every day after college, as well as having to
work for spending money. I could probably quit my job as I don‚t have the time
to spend it. As well as that, the hurricanes didn‚t do us any favors, all those
days off that were so great at the time, I am starting to regret. History exams,
English papers etc., when I‚ve finished one and think I‚ve got some time for
myself, along comes another one. Thank God the semester is not that long.
On a better note, the Eagles (men‚s soccer) are lying on top of the conference
after a win against second-placed Northwood, we are undefeated in the Conference
thus far this season. The best game I have played in this season is undoubtedly
the 3-0 win over Flagler last week, on their home turf no less. It was the
best atmosphere I have played in since I got here. We did take some abuse all
the same, but thanks to two goals from Ian Thomson, we soon silenced the crowd.
I will be expecting a good crowd for the return home game on November 2nd to
return the favor. I didn‚t realize that college soccer and sport in general was
taken so seriously over here. The rivalry I've seen against Flagler was great
and it was even better to play in.
Got my first taste of a fraternity party last
weekend, it was not exactly how it looked on American Pie, but it was not bad
all the same. I‚m not sure how many of you were there, but it was pretty packed.
By the way, I am talking about the one in the field, I got eaten alive by mosquitoes,
and it did stink of horse manure but over all it was good craic (Irish for
a good time).
Anyway, apart from a lot of college work and the odd night out on
a weekend, everything has been pretty quiet. So I am going to go back to
the village for a bite to eat before I hit the sack, not sure what I‚m
going to have yet. Maybe I‚ll have pizza or even some pizza. I‚m sure if
you‚ve eaten in college canteens you will know they lack a bit of variety
and they don‚t provide salt to complement the food, but instead to give
it a bit of taste.
Thanks for tuning in.
September 30, 2004
Born in Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland on 3-31-84, were
I lived for the first 16 years of my life. The best years I've had thus far.
Brought up in a family of eight, I always had plenty of company, a lot of mates
and probably more importantly to me, a soccer field very close by. Before finishing
high school, I got an opportunity to pursue a football career across the Irish
sea in England. After 2 years of this, I decided it wasn't for me and so I
up and left for the Republic of Ireland to University College Dublin to continue
playin football, but not full time. I also attended college.
When I finished my 2 year course, I decided that there was a lot more of the
world to be seen and a degree to be earned, so I went on the hunt for another
move and, in my mind, there was only one place to see next. The land of the
free. And so six weeks on from my move and still with a girlfriend back at
home, here I am.
Why Embry-Riddle? After my two years in England, I had a decision to make
about my next move, and it was between going to college in America, Atlanta
to be exact or to go to college back nearer to home in the Republic of Ireland.
When the Atlanta college thing fell through last minute it made my decision
a hell of a lot easier and so off to University College Dublin (UCD) I went.
Now, after those two years are finished I wouldn't have had it any other way.
I met some great people in Dublin, not least my girlfriend, my team mates and
I also had a lot of great times. When i had finished my two year part time
course in Dublin, I wasn't ready for the real world yet and I felt underqualified
as well, so I started to look at my options all over again. And still after
two years America still appealed to me and so I started to look. It is amazing
how sometimes you meet people and you think that it is almost impossible that
you will ever see them again. This is how I felt about a lot of friends I had
made when I left England. But as it turns out, I met some of them a lot sooner
than I thought I would. When I went looking for a college in America that might
be interested in somebody with my credentials, I remembered a fella who left
England just 6 months before me and that he had went to a college in Florida.
So after a few phone calls, I was able to get in touch with him and ask him
for some help and advice as to what I should do next to get to America. As
fate would have it, I phoned at just the right time and they had some vacant
spots on the team and it just so happens that one of them was the position
that I play. So one thing led to another and after I had checked out my available
courses and made sure that I could do a course that suited me, and obviously
that I had what Embry-Riddle wanted, both academically and athletically, I
was on my way. Not knowing exactly what to expect I set off for America, but
this was not a decision that I came to with ease, I had a lot going for me
back at home, like a girlfriend and another college course as well as some
good friends I had made, but in the end I felt that it was the best option.
Now, after 7 weeks in Florida and I've lost count of however many hurricanes,
I still think I've made the right decision. It's tuff sometimes to be so far
away from home, because unlike England you can't just jump on a plane and fly
for an hour and your home. I miss a lot of things about home but as there are
so many Europeans on the soccer team, they are all on the same boat and they
understand exactly where I'm coming from. They are all "great
craic" and they've looked after me a lot since I've been here.
On that note I'm going to leave this entry as it is because I'm sure like
many of the rest of you, I have a lot of work to catch up on after all of the
school missed due to the hurricanes. Thanks, Hugh.
|
Name: Hugh 